Senior Lieutenant Colonel Tran Quang Khai, deputy head and chief of staff of Regiment 923 doing what he loved best.

“He was a very special person, very calm, brave, and intelligent,” said a friend on his Facebook page.

Senior Lieutenant Colonel Khai in happier times at the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos in 2013.

Flying an SU-30 aircraft during a training mission.

Fellow soldiers stand to attention and give a final salute to their fallen comrade as he makes his final journey home to Hanoi.